The Xavier family in Gotham
by Olive nerd
Summary: Parents Charles and Erik, their children Kylie and Mattthew, and "Aunt" Raven head to Gotham for the summer. Erik must work with Commissioner Gordon while visiting Gotham. Since Bruce Wayne mysteriously disappeared, however, Gotham has grown more dangerous than ever. And as much as the "normal" family wants to not find trouble, trouble seems to find them. Obvious Cherik
1. Chapter 1

The Xavier family in Gotham

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the X-Men series. **

Chapter 1: Off to Gotham

The Xavier family was at it again. The usually close-knit family was reaping what schedules and awkward conversations over dinner tried to sew. To make matters worse, eleven-year old Kylie wanted a puppy.

"An early birthday present," Charles explained as he skimmed over his last notes he scribbled down at another tedious meeting at Bohr Grade School. Progress was scarce there. Charles knew that no one, not even any parent who attended the meeting, had bothered to contribute much or take his or her head out of the sand ever since Cardinal County changed some of their policies.

"Comfort is their only gold to dig up," he murmured sourly.

His husband Erik shifted uncomfortably beneath their bed's blankets. "Married for twelve years, arguing for fourteen, and you still can't enjoy the peace you so desperately wanted." A goofy smile stretched across his face. Charles followed Erik's eyes and sighed. Garments and Erik's opened luggage littered their bedroom floor.

"Says the private investigator who has a free ride to Gotham."

"I'll tell you all about the trip each night."

"Sure, at 4 a.m.!"

"Night shifts or days shifts," Erik began seriously, "I'm your tour guide." He leaned in for a kiss, then a bold fart occupied the sheets.

"Classy," Charles giggled, airing out the sheets a bit. "I suppose that's _payback_, as the kids put it these days, for the teasing ritual you gave that chili." Although he was disgusted, Charles gave the pouty, slightly older man a light kiss.

"It was delicious!" Erik exclaimed, laying his head romantically, (at least as romantically as he possibly could,) on Charles's shoulder.

"You said that about Raven's lasagna, and the noodles were undercooked!"

"A little lie never hurt an inorganic chemist," Erik insisted.

"For the millionth time, she's an _organic _chemist!"

"Well, she should start considering the feelings of the metal bender!"

"Erik…" He decided to change the subject. "Matthew asked me how we met."

Erik shuddered at the idea of telling the tale. The couple was once old friends. One could assume it was love at first sight. But unlike the average fairy tale, their meeting involved the possible brink of their kind, the mutants' extinction.

Both Charles and Erik were mutants, a telepath and a metal bender. Their children, Kylie the junior telepath and Matthew the speedy kid, started out as DNA strands on petri dishes. Their aunt and Charles's adopted sister, Raven Darkholme, was a shape-shifter.

So, chaos was inevitable. Heck, before Charles and Erik decided to raise a family, Charles's ex-girlfriend, CIA agent Moira MacTaggart, rolled with every punch and took every precaution in order to protect the undisclosed mutant family from her agency.

Any agency or government would want them as weapons, probably, and the thought of submission made the parents hide their family's mutant identities at all costs. So, telling the children about how their daddies met didn't seem like the most appealing idea. Word goes around quickly…

Erik attempted to lighten the mood by whistling, but Charles glared at him. "Stop it. You know I don't like it when you do that, love."

"But you're so hot when you're annoyed," Erik teased, placing his lips on Charles's cheek. "Besides, just because you're so proper it doesn't mean I should stop any habits."

"Like your bragging," Charles pouted, "Your insufferable bragging about your trip to Gotham! Erik, don't leave me with Kylie's boyfriend, Rex! He's a mess and you know it!"

"Hush," Erik soothed, gently rubbing circles on his husband's back. "He's just a reckless boy –"

"A reckless, plain bad boy with no conscious to speak of, suspended –"

"You mother hen! You don't even know what he was suspended for!"

"For…" Charles's cheeks turned bright pink.

"Ha!" Erik wore a triumphant grin and embraced Charles. "Now you won't be so witty, Professor X, when I, Magneto, take you away to Gotham with me!"

"You corny man!" Charles was practically in tears, frustrated beyond belief. No one but Erik made him act this dramatic. "Can't we just go to sleep? I have no intention of –" All traces of bitterness left Charles's face. The words sunk in to Charles's brain, and his mouth yelped in autopilot mode, exhilarated and impulsive.

"Erik! You sweet, lovable man!" The telepath chuckled as he pulled Erik closer to him. "We're going to Gotham! I always wanted to go! All of us, aren't we?"

Erik warmly returned the hug and whispered, "All of us." His eyes traveled to their joined hands, both ring fingers captivated by golden wedding bands. Then, his eyes flickered to Charles's legs, stiff even under the cool sheets. They'd never move again.

Fourteen years ago, Erik was shielding Charles and himself from Agent MacTaggart's bullets when he accidentally pierced his future husband in the spine with one of the bullets. Perturbed but calm, Erik beckoned Charles to forgive and join him. Expectedly, the telepath turned down the offer and ignored the metal bender for an entire year.

But while he was heavily neglected, Erik conspired with fellow mutants, (even an unforgiving Mystique,) and soon gave Charles a gift every day. Sometimes he received the traditional assortment of flowers or chocolates. Sometimes, however, Erik made his presence bolder and sent Charles guitars, songs, letters, candy carts, chessboards with his and Raven's signatures, and much more. But, it wasn't until Erik sent him a wedding band that the tense period ended and Charles responded, "Yes. And yes, I forgive you."

They were married another year later, since Raven wanted them to go on dates against Erik's will. Still, their moments weren't unpleasant. They spent hours playing chess, walking in parks, visiting beaches, etc. Eventually, Charles was transforming into an anxious bride-to-be, sampling cakes and debating on whether to have an indoor or outdoor wedding.

Even after their lovely wedding and honeymoon, Erik never forgave himself. Erik even made Charles keep his surname. When Charles and he had children, his guilt worsened. (Kylie was born a year after their wedding, and Matthew was born a year after that.) So, he swore to never leave the man's side, even if it meant more torture from an undead Shaw.

Needless to say, the married couple and their eavesdropping children did not get a blink of sleep that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Thief

The next morning, Charles booked his and his family's flight to Gotham and invited Raven to come. At first, she was a bit agitated at the briskness of the news and trip. But after complaining freely, she accepted the invitation.

Meanwhile, Erik chose their hotel. It didn't have to be extravagant. He just didn't want what any father didn't want: a shabby or shady inn.

The Xavier family's ideal hotel had a pool, (because their hyperactive children eventually made swimming mandatory when they went on any vacation,) and had a decent proximity to an airport. In this particular case, their hotel had to be near the Gotham International Airport. Also, Erik personally wanted the place to be close enough to the Gotham City Police Department, (or the GCPD,) since Erik would start meeting Commissioner Jim Gordon there regularly.

Once summer finally arrived and the kids were out of school, the Xavier family went off to Gotham. The trip would have gone much smoother had Matthew not had to use a barf bag, but he quickly recovered once they arrived at the *Gotham Central Hotel, swam at the hotel's indoor pool with Kylie, and got ready for bed.

Everyone went to bed early because they had to greet Raven at the airport tomorrow morning. Being the airhead she sometimes was whenever she took a break from her work, Raven booked a very early flight. Coincidentally, she would have to reach Gotham at six a.m. in the morning, the morning after the Xavier family reached Gotham. That is, if she got there on time.

She couldn't go with them anyway, so a mishap was almost inevitable. They wanted her to come with them, but Raven's hard-hearted boss made her work overtime, ad she had to book a flight after they left on Saturday. Joy.

Suddenly, Matthew's stomach growled, no, roared.

"Oh yeah…" He forgot to eat his peanut butter sandwich Kylie made him for dinner. "Oh well! I'm sure the minibar has some ice cream!"

Suddenly, the sole window in the hotel room creaked open, and a thin, graceful figure slipped inside. Matthew stared at the stranger, gulping and shaking. True, he had recently reached his tenth birthday, and he knew every young man or mutant must learn to let go of his Tetraphobia. Even so, Matthew couldn't help but quiver in front of the unidentified creature.

"Don't count on it," the creature purred from the shadows, rummaging then grasping something beside Matthew's father, Erik's, side of the bed. "What a nice wallet…"

"P – put it back," Matthew stammered. _What if she has claws?_ He wondered to himself. But, it wouldn't matter, right? He couldn't cower in front of a burglar! "Th-That's my father's wallet!"

"Really? Shame. If you value your family's safety, you'd stay out of my way, kid."

As she stepped into the moonlight now revealing itself and pouring into the room, Matthew could make out some features of the crook: silky, brunette hair, doe-like brown eyes, and a black sheath dress. It was a pity that she was so lovely in the boy's eyes.

"You're not a monster," Matthew croaked. _Real smooth, Matt!_

Pearly white teeth lit up the room, and cherry red lips curled against them. "Bet I am, kid. Bet I am." And just like that, the thief vanished.

xxxx

Erik triple-checked his handbag, (or as Charles put it, his "manly purse",) then Charles's handbag. "I swear I brought my wallet, Charles. You saw me take it out when we paid that taxicab driver last night!"

"It'll show up," Charles chirped optimistically, quite rejuvenated after he went to bed early last night and brewed himself some coffee and tea. "Breakfast is still downstairs if you want –"

"I'm not eating until I find my wallet," the metal bender growled, bending silverware and other metallic objects wherever he went.

As Erik grumpily searched for his lost wallet elsewhere and Charles struggled to get his lazy daughter out of bed, Matthew stared at his family with remorse. He couldn't endanger his family because he had the feeling that the thief wasn't joking. But, he didn't want to keep his father from the truth either.

"We can use the money I have until we reach an ATM!" Charles shouted as he splashed a bit of cold water on Kylie. "This city's littered with them, Erik!" She squirmed and glared at Charles, but Charles could only shrug. "Sorry, darling. I did warn you."

When Charles noticed that Matthew was simply staring at his hands, he grew concerned. "Matthew? Are you okay? You're usually complaining about how starving you get in the mornings."

The poor boy mustered up a grin for his daddy, but it took an awful lot of strength on his part; he really felt like a huge loser and not a hero, not one like his parents were.

Kylie noticed her little brother's discomfort, too, but she shoved it aside. _He probably had another silly dream about monsters again, _she thought to herself. Then, her mind returned to her boyfriend. _Oh Rex… You're so far away… Won't my dysfunctional family ever understand how much I care for you?_

***Gotham Central Hotel - I kind of made this up. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Meet Marie, John, and the Gordon's

**Note: This is kind of a mash up of the original **_**Batman **_**series and Christopher Nolan's films. So, please let me know if it gets confusing and where. Gotham can be one massive riddle to write about. (Ha. Ha. You'll get the joke later.) **

**Also, since this is an alternate universe of some sort, I'm adding characters from other modern films, such as **_**The Avengers. **_**Enjoy!**

"Your sister is so inconsiderate," Erik complained, wiping the lingering sleep out of his puffy, red eyes. He was certainly not a morning person. "We told her to meet us at the baggage claim, and we've been here for half an hour since her flight landed!"

"Maybe there's a line in the little girls' room," Charles offered.

Erik glared butcher knives at him. "In _one _little girls' room?! Face it! She needs to get here when she says she'll get here!?

Charles turned away from his chastising husband. As he started to reluctantly fix Kylie's unruly hair, he spotted his helper and grinned.

"Erik, I'd like you to meet Marie, the kids' babysitter."

"Babysitter!" Matthew squawked, eyeing Marie heinously. She was a typical-looking, mediocre teen: tall, kind of pretty, and too thin. Her straight, light brown hair began to frizz, and her grey-blue eyes drooped as she fast-walked to the family. As she got closer, Kylie noticed the one benefit she approved of: Marie's aqua georgette dress.

_I want that dress but nothing else on the list, _Kylie thought condescendingly to herself. _Maybe Daddy can buy one for me on my birthday, or Rex? _

"Good morning, Mr. Xavier."

Charles wheeled himself closer to the thirteen year old and shook her outstretched hand and introduced her to his family. "And you, Marie. I understand your parents and little sister will be residing in Tokyo until…"

"Until Tuesday," Marie chirped. "Today is Sunday, and you wanted me to watch them this evening and tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, dear." Charles turned to his family. "I'd like you to meet Marie Barton." He patted Erik's lower back and exclaimed quite pretentiously, "And we are so_ thrilled_, aren't we Erik?"

"Hm…" Erik stared at the girl, devoid of emotion, and then murmured, "Charles a word if you will." Without waiting for Charles to respond, Erik took Charles aside and whirled him around to face his lethal glare.

"You hired a babysitter without my approval?"

"You never approve anyone," Charles hissed, shutting his eyes. "And please lower your voice –"

"Lower this shit!" His temper had reached its breaking point. "How much are we paying her?" Charles winced. "Well?"

Charles pursed his lips and barely whispered, "Twenty tonight, twenty tomorrow. But Erik, she's brilliant! She knows CPR, has been trained in hand-to-hand combat by her parents who happen to be two of the deadliest assassins in the world, and the arrangement falls perfectly into her schedule! I had to seize the opportunity. Really, Erik… Do you have to be this stubborn?"

"Perfect, this is." Erik sneered and stared off into the distance. He spotted a man walking briskly to them. "Incoming. They look conservative. Be my trophy wife." For that, all Erik received was a mental kick from his husband.

Not one but two men approached them, trundling a woman in a wheelchair. Thankfully, Marie noticed them and rounded up the Xavier children for their parents. Charles gave her a smile full of gratitude.

"Oh my…." The woman of the trio gasped and tugged on her fiery red hair. "You're Professor Xavier!"

"Indeed I am." He wondered to himself about her condition, since even though their wheelchairs were similar, hers had sticky notes and poorly hid weapons. _Was she born this way or violated, _he wondered to himself. _Quite a shame then if she was violated. She's awfully pretty and has a good heart. _

"I've read all your documentations," she declared proudly, griping the younger looking man's hand. "Wow, I think I'll faint, John!"

"Please don't." He chuckled and ran his free hand through his jet-black hair. "You must be Erik Lehnsherr Xavier then." He nodded to Erik and shook his hand. "Officer John Blake. I'm sure you know James." He stepped aside so that the older man, Commissioner James Gordon, could promptly introduce himself.

"We're glad to have you here, Mr. Xavier."

"Thank you, Commissioner Gordon." The Gordon's soon told the Xavier's and Marie that the woman, Barbara, was the commissioner's daughter and John was her boyfriend.

"Hey, gang!" Raven ran to her family and pulled Erik into a hug. "Romeo! You've lost weight!"

"You calling me fat," he whispered huskily. She smacked his arm playfully and embraced Kylie and Matthew.

"How're my favorite kids?"

"Disappointed because apparently we're not old enough to watch ourselves." Matthew smirked and hopped away from Raven. "Look what I can do, Aunt Ray!" He stuck his tongue up his nose, ignoring his older sister's eye roll.

"You're so beautiful Raven," Kylie found herself saying aloud. "I – I mean, uh…"

"Thanks, precious." She knelt to Charles and wrapped her arms around his leaning torso. "Last time I checked with Moira, she told me she'd keep you updated if she senses more lurking from the CIA and whatnot."

"What would I do without you?"

"Don't know." Raven then sheepishly introduced herself to the Gordon's and Marie. When she finished, they searched for Raven's luggage. The procedure went by peacefully until Gordon's *walkie-talkie buzzed crazily. As soon as he answered and heard the person on the other line, he began swaying.

"James!" John caught the pale elder and Gordon wheezily took deep breaths. "That's right, buddy. Calm down."

"Daddy?" Barbara gripped the armrest of her wheelchair and rolled herself closer to her father. "Daddy, tell me what's wrong."

Commissioner Gordon ignored both of them and looked apologetically at Erik. "Sorry, Erik. You may have to start working early. My wife is a hostage."

***Walkie-talkie – I'm not one hundred percent sure if these were used in the 70's or not. So, I'm just assuming. Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Bait for the bat

"Ah…" Joker licked his lips and studied the people surrounding Gordon. The criminal mastermind had been removed from Arkham Asylum after a few of his thugs had reportedly and successfully kidnapped Mrs. James Gordon. Now, he was facing Mr. Gordon and his train and handcuffed in a dark, empty room at GCPD.

"There's Batsy's boy, redheaded princess, and…" He wiggled whatever eyebrows he had at Erik and Charles playfully. "New recruits… Fruitcake… Barbie and Ken!" He broke into hysterical laughter as Charles flinched. The telepath was grateful he allowed Marie to start her job as soon as he and Erik left for GCPD. No kid _needed_ to see this criminal mastermind.

"Where's my wife," Gordon demanded apathetically, but the mutants could sense the dread dripping in his tone.

Joker whistled and took a camera from his purple jacket. John immediately reached for his gun, while Joker snickered. "Stupid kid! Think I'm that messy? No, you of all people…" He lowered his voice, distorting it in a creepy way. "You should know I'm a better planner than some of your… playmates here at the ol' GCPD." He shifted his eyes back to the mutants and smirked. "And if that were not true, then why are these two needed all of a sudden?"

"Give me the camera," Gordon snapped, reaching for it. Joker tossed it carelessly to Barbara, who handed it to her father. When he browsed through the pictures still on the camera, he gasped.

*"Sarah…" There were dozens of pictures of the brunette struggling against binds with a paper bag on her head and shocked by a woman in black and red lingerie. Sarah's brown eyes were always wide with fear in every picture, and her lips were always sealed with duct tape.

Gordon could almost hear her screaming against the tape. But before he could snap again at Joker, he noticed something odd. Every picture was taken in some sort of empty space or in a space littered with boxes. "I'll have to check back on that_," _he said to himself.

"I figured you 'good people' wouldn't move a finger after Bat-brain abandoned me without a proper goodbye," Joker sneered. "But me? Well, I like to find the fun in life… So I'm gonna give you and Bats twenty-four hours starting…. now. If he doesn't return to Gotham within that time limit or you don't lure him here…" Joker cackled again and looked at Gordon again. "My Harley might have herself a new friend…"

"You sick bastard!" Barbara would've lunged for him if she didn't know she couldn't just assault a dangerous criminal. Erik looked at her and Gordon with softened eyes. He understood how both of them felt; he'd hate to have his late mother, father, or husband kidnapped by some lackeys of the sick man.

Meanwhile, Charles glanced at the Joker, who was humming to himself as Gordon whispered something to his daughter. _I wonder what could've triggered this, _Charles mulled.

xxxx

After the team returned Joker to the asylum and gathered in Gordon's office, Gordon explained to Charles and Erik who he believed the Joker was. "He's one of our most notorious criminals, calculating and brilliant even. I'm sure you've heard of him, but have you heard of his girlfriend?" Both mutants shook their heads.

"Is that who Harley is," Charles asked.

"Yes," Barbara replied, "And he tricked her into believing he was a tormented soul."

"Even if he was ever," John continued, "That's not an excuse for killing innocent people." Charles nodded, while Erik shuddered but said nothing.

"One of Joker's favorite hostage spots in the entire city is the abandoned city on *Deer Avenue," Gordon told the rest of the team knowingly. "But, there are other warehouses… That's all it could've been. I scanned every last picture. The area is similar. The Joker, thankfully, must be slacking since Batman left."

"It's a construction warehouse," John added, remembering unambiguous details in each picture's background. "Barbara?" She nodded, accepted the camera from her father, and left the room.

"Erik, once my daughter has a hold of the list of all the possible construction warehouses in the city, we'll need you to visit some of them. John, you'll visit some, and I'll visit the rest." Erik nodded at Gordon, but then shared a nervous look with Charles.

"Forgive me, sir. But… is this absolutely necessary? Wouldn't it be much simpler if we took the famous 'Batman' out of hiding?" The older man wore a crestfallen expression once his questions came out of the blue.

"Er, no. B- Batman isn't attainable."

Charles placed his index finger on his temple. _If I can only have a name and location…_ "Then perhaps –" His husband swatted his hand away before he could share the hint.

_Do you want to get us killed, Charles?_

_Don't you want to find Batman, Erik? _

Gordon, though, noticed this suspiciously. "Is there something you two want to tell me?"

Erik stood his ground, keeping Charles's shaky hand to his side with a deadlock grip. "What about you?"

George bit his lip and backed away from the couple a bit. But before John could speak for the elder, Erik told them, "I want my husband to work with me. That's what I've been meaning to tell you."

John glanced at Charles then Erik. "I'm sorry, Mr. and… Mr. Xavier. We simply cannot endanger –"

"Charles?" The telepath nodded and projected several random thoughts into both cops' minds. When he was through, both cops were speechless and a little ashamed of themselves.

"In due time, we may let you in on our…" John gulped and paled when a coin hovered above Erik's palms. "Little secret."

xxxx

Barbara typed away vigorously on her computer as her voice, the voice of Oracle, went into action. She spoke urgently into her walkie-talkie for all three men to here. "Oracle, gang. How's the east side looking, Erik?"

"Bland, sorry."

"That's 'normal' in our book," he heard John reply with a dry chuckle.

Erik squinted at the last warehouse on his list, finding the area disturbing yet empty. _How discouraging… _Charles shrugged in his mind at his quibble. "Oracle…" Erik tested the codename on his lips and thought about the others, 'Robin' and plain, boring 'Gordon'. _Ridiculous… Not memorable like Professor X or Magneto or Mystique. They need Raven's help. _

"I've seen nothing yet," he confessed, continuing to survey the building. "There are no hidden clues, nothing, unless you count this tasteless graffiti in this particular warehouse. "

"What kind of graffiti?" Erik raised his eyebrows at the eagerness in Oracle's voice, slightly confused, but he answered her anyway.

"Bright green question marks – " Their connection suddenly broke, and Oracle's voice buzzed against Erik's eardrum until it was gone.

"Oracle? Oracle!" Erik frowned and sighed agitatedly. But as soon as he collected himself, his mind stretched for Charles, who, thanks to the officers who were overprotective of any feminine spouse, was relaxing lazily and sipping on some hot cocoa at a local diner.

_How's your drink, princess?_

He could feel Charles's rosy red lips curl wickedly in amusement against the lid of his cup. _I've tasted better…_

_You sick mindbender! _Erik scowled but found himself smiling as Charles giggled to himself. _I need your assistance, babe._

_For the seventieth time, darling, I'm your husband, not your harlot. _

Erik moved cautiously around another pitch-black hall, observing whatever surroundings he could see with the naked eye. _I told you that 'babe' is not a vulgar term! Anyway… when you're done making out with your beverage, I need your brains to skim this warehouse for hints._

_That's useless and you know it! You found nothing!_

_No… _Erik suddenly noticed that the question marks he pointed out to Oracle earlier were glowing and shimmering in the dark, and he heard mellow laughter near him. _Someone else is here, and I know you heard Barbara's reaction to these punctuation marks._

"Riddle me this, riddle me that…" A smooth voice startled the metal bender so much that he almost threw his pocketknife at the man. "Your inner conflict is elaborate yet flat. A husband, his mate, against his head. If looks can kill, you'll both be one man up ahead.

Erik didn't like the Joker, whose ghostly painted face and greenish blonde hair sickened him. Still, this stranger was just as unnerving if not worse than the clown. He clearly knew both Erik and Charles's identities as mutants and spouses. But, it wasn't the idea of him knowing that bothered Erik so. Many humans knew many mutants these days. It was the power this stranger now held with the knowledge, knowledge that rightfully belonged to his family alone.

The stranger wore a bright green suit, bowler hat, shoes, and twirled a matching cane with a gigantic question mark on its end. He also wore a violet and white mask on his tan face. Erik couldn't really see his eyes, but all he needed to know rested in the mysterious man's smile: curvy, chapped, worn out, restless, and abnormally intelligent.

"Welcome to Gotham, Mr. Lehnsherr." His smile broadened as Erik grew tenser. "I'm the Riddler, and for now at least, I'm going to be straightforward with you because I like you."

_He has an agenda, _Charles noted a bit apprehensively.

_Obviously! _Erik snarled to himself. _Tell me something I don't know!_

_He believes one of us will not last in Gotham, Erik. Watch yourself._

Erik rolled his eyes as the Riddler observed him curiously. _I know with that big head of yours you can stay clear of this guy's mind games, but Charles, quit being such a child! Even if he does have the foolish idea set in his mind, you can't let these freaks scare you. They're playing with us. Trust me, honey. _Erik knew what a mind manipulator looked like when he saw one, having to endure Shaw, his henchmen, and allies for years.

"Your sweetheart will get tangled up," the Riddler teased as he exited the warehouse. "And you'll get the cat." He twirled his cane again nonchalantly as he whispered, "And all walls will crumple… unless you snatch the bat."

Once the Riddler left Erik alone, the mutants glumly pondered over several other ideas. _Gordon and Blake are heading west and south, _Erik projected to Charles. _Since I found nothing, other than graffiti, they'll expect me, or us, to head north. _

_Uh huh… _Charles stared idly at his cooled cup of cocoa, no longer thirsty. His mind was instantly set on a rather riveting scheme.

_I know that tone, honey. You've got something. _

_Yes, love. I do have a compelling proposition for you. _The telepath didn't expect the unyielding metal bender to comply, but he surprisingly found that Erik had no other motive. In fact, Erik quipped, _I get to be the brunette. _

***Sarah - I know Gordon's wife was named Barbara in the movies, but I didn't want people to confuse her with his daughter. So, I referred to the comics. **

***Deer Avenue – I made up something again. Please expect this to be a common occurrence for me. **


End file.
